CHRIS VAN ALLSBURG

A BIT OF BACKGROUND ON MR. VAN ALLSBURG

• Chris Van Allsburg was born on June 18th, 1949
• He grew up in Michigan, his family ran a creamery for generations called East End Creamery
• Throughout his childhood he loved to build model boats and cars on his own
• In high school Chris loved math and science
• Chris attended The University of Michigan and Rhode Island School of Design, he studied sculpture

Chris Van Allsburg worked as a professor at Rhode Island School of Design

He exhibited his sculptures in New York. At this time he also drew pictures, surreal pictures. People started to notice his illustrations.

Untitled Slide

1979
A big year for Chris Van Allsburg

His first children's book was published

The Garden of Abdul Gasazi

It was a runner up for the Caldecott award.

SINCE 1979, VAN ALLSBURG HAS WRITTEN 17 CHILDRENS BOOKS!

• The garden of Abdul Gasazi(1979), Jumanji(1981), Ben's Dream(1982)
• The Wreck of the Zephyr(1983), The Mysteries of Harris Burdick(1984),The Polar Express(1985)
• The Stranger(1986), The Z Was Zapped(1987),Two Bad Ants(1988), Just a Dream(1990)
• , The Wretched Stone(1991), The Widow's Broom(1992), The Sweetest Fig(1993)
• Bad Day at Riverbend(1995), Zathura(2002), Probuditi(2006), Queen of the Falls(2011)

EXTRAORDINARY FACTS

Jumanji, The Polar Express, and Zathura were all made into movies

Jumanji and The Polar Express won the Caldecott award

In every book Chris illustrates the dog Fritz, from the Garden of Abdul Gasazi, appears, at times hidden!

For his illustrations Chris often uses live models to base the drawings on. The character of Annie in Queen of the Falls is based on his daughters ninth grade math teacher who modeled for him. Queen of the Falls is also his only non-fiction book

CHRIS VAN ALLSBURG IN THE CLASSROOM

• Study life drawings based on his illustrations
• Do an author study and read all 17 of his books, focusing on inference
• Using Jumanji have students create their own board game to review a subject
• There is a character lesson in every book, you can learn from these stories
• Math problems related to the Polar Express

SOURCES

• www.chrisvanallsburg.com
• The mysteries of Chris Van Allsburg by Jane Bayard Curley
• Integrating the literature of Chris Van Allsburg in the classroom by Thomas Palumbo
• www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/vanallsburg
• The Polar Express by Nancy Livingston- a review with insight into Van Allsberg